Random commercial

Spend this amount, get elected?

Obama’s ad spending in top tier
Posted: 02:32 PM ET

(CNN) — Presidential candidates are sold in much the same way a new product is: with an expensive, flashy, and ubiquitous television campaign.

And according to advertising figures provided by Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN’s consultant on ad spending, Barack Obama’s campaign has spent more money selling its candidate on television than most major brand name companies do selling their products.

The Illinois senator’s campaign is projected to have spent $250 million on ads in the past four months — a number that is equivalent to $750 million in a full year. Only AT&T, with a yearly advertising budget of about $1.3 billion, and Verizon, which shells out $950 million a year on ads, spends more than the Democratic presidential nominee. Most major companies spend far less, including McDonald’s ($588 million), Sprint PCS ($482 million) and T-Mobile ($404 million).

John McCain is projected to have spent about $110 million since the general election began.

–From CNN’s Alexander Mooney

Are Microsoft and Crispin copycats?

Microsoft's new ad campaign is titled "Life Takes Vista". Sound familiar? Back in February, Visa was rebranded with "Life Takes Visa". The AOR (agency of record) for Microsoft Windows is Crispin Porter + Bogusky while the AOR for Visa is TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Coincidentally, this is round two of Crispins clients directly-or indirectly-taking on TBWA\C\Ds clients. Apple is a client of TBWA\C\D. The first round was the I'm a PC vs. I'm a Mac ads.



Thanks to Lornie for the link.

update: I'd like to apologize to The Ranch readers for not verifying "Lornie" and the authenticity of the information before posting it. I'm assuming that's a basic rule of journalism.

Free PS brushes

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Burma PSA

Great idea. Even better execution.


CRISIS IN BURMA from Scott Denton on Vimeo.

Credits
Client: MTV/Burma Arts Board
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Amsterdam
ECD/Copywriter: Carl Le Blond
Agency Producer: Brenda Bentz van den Berg
Production Company: Shilo, HANraHAN
Director: Shilo
Creative Director (Shilo): Andre Stringer, Jose Gomez

37 pictures the world must see

“I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it, in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.”
-James Nachtwey

from TED e-newsletter.